Software Books

Excellent modelling environment. Flexible, robust, and approved software. Exemplary manual elucidates numerical and hydraulic background

PMWIN is an excellent software for the simulation of groundwater flow and transport. This comprehensive software makes it easy to setup own groundwater problems. It comprises a lot of additional programs and useful tools which help to describe and analyse a problem very clearly. For example, a model for the simulation of single and multi-species transport is included as well as the full version of PEST, the famous code for parameter estimation. Many features facilitate showing and printing of the results. The book contains a lot of elucidations and examples. Some features are still in development but should be released soon, like 3D visualization and geochemical model. Alltogether a very recommandable book and software.

I was using earlier version of pmwin and 3-d visualisation was missing. Therefore I always in preferred to work with Visual Modflow with 3-D explorer and GMS. Now using version 5 of PMWIN with 3-D explorer, I was thrilled. Really it is wounderful and quite simple. I do not find it is less than other counter part Commercial Software. Its 3-D explorer is better than Visual Modflow 3-d explorer.

PMWIN is a robust simulation system capable of modeling groundwater flow and solute transport. It is easy to use and import figures of differing formats. The GUI (graphical user interface) is user friendly. The text presents all the information, graphics and illustrations of the GUI making it easy to understand and use. I highly recommend this program.

To learn the groundwater modeling techniques, the students or the professionals need the suitable software and the textbook which explaines clearly the theory and the used software.The book must explaine the procedures step by step and from start to to the end.But nowadays, if you have not enough money to purchase the commercial modflow based software, it is a pity that you have to learn MODFLOW codes.It was the undesriable things.Hydrogeological modeling means interpretation.But there is no possibility to see visual something among the codes.I created the input and as a result output errors during the simulations with codes at the beginning.There is a good words in computer technology; Gap In Gap Out.It summurizes the best what i meant.Definitely all hydrogeologists have to know all background informations on groundwater modeling techniques and the structure of used softwares. But i think, groundwater modeling is more than a science, it is a art which must have a visual effect.So that I have looked for the best groundwater modeling book and the software since 1991.At the end, i have found, what i have ever looked for. This is this book which combines the latest modeling techniques and the latest modeling software.You can learn the latest modeling techniques written by the leading teaching experts and creators of PMWIN.This 344 pages textbook walks the practising engineers or students through the modeling process from start to finish.You don't need any other additional tool.This book has also the best groundwater modeling and contaminant transport modeling software. Especially it is the best learning asistance with example problems for the students and practising professionals.

With PMWIN ,groundwater modeling has never been so easy.It is more than a pre and post processor of MODFLOW family (88,96 or 2000);it is a great modeling environment in which you can find what you needed. You can also realize your all modeling and contaminant transport dreams with using all MOC3D, MT3D, PHT3D or RT3D family ( it was a dream for me ).

PMWIN is an advanced environment which has a digitizer, field interpolater, field generator and environment for the background images or dxf files.You can import vector or raster based images...create your own georeferenced background maps.You can interpolate your datas by using FIELDinterpolater and export your kriging results just in a minute with field generator.You can find 4 different interpolation methos.The most complex 3D preprocessing, such as surface or layer property routines take max.30 minutes.You can enter your values to cells, either in cell by cell method or in zonal method or using interchange options from the field interpolater program.

The PMWIN has a preference options the simulation can be performed either with MODFLOW 88,96 or 2000.The all datas will be controlled by the PMWIN, if needed you will be directed for the deficit inputs.After the modflow simulation has finished, the RESULTextractor gets your results in a matrix dialog. If you prefer to open your datas in an other application such as SURFER, it is also possible, you can export your matrix result. PMWIN creates two output files; one of them USGS's *.nam file, the other is the PMWIN's *.pm5 file.For example if you have only GE, you can also visualize your modflow code simulation results in GE environment because GE reads the modflows *.nam files.

If you have GE (it is an optional, low cost 3D visualization tool.It is the cheapest, the best and the easiest tool in the industry).I have tried the all other visulalzation tools, GE is the best, GE is the simple.If you wonder about the prices, it app.250 USD.The most complex and troublous datas will be shown so clearly in 2 minutes.PMWIN and GE or some other add on modules work seamlessly and perfect.The author and the programmer Prof.Wen-Hsing CHAING had thought everything.I have examined PMWIN with the most complex problems,the program has never stooped or the operating system has never collapsed.The PMWIN 5.1.7 permits 250.000 cells but with MF2K add on modules it can be reached up 640.000 cells. Again no problem, no colapse in system.If your operating system is stable, it works so unique.

If you are an unexperienced modeler or beginner,it is not problem.After one or two day with this book; definitely you will become more familiar.It is so simple that the visualization processes take just 2 minutes...you can create your own animations and import your animation scenes in many digital formats such as *.BMP, *.GIF and modify there and present.

With some additional add on modules which have been created again by the Authors of the book, you can merge with other modeling tools such as RT3D or PHT3D.I have contacted to Prof.wen-Hsing CHAING and learned that there will be a lot of add on modules...one of them is the surface water/groundwater interaction modules.I have also learned that GE will be used for the presentation of the surface waters and the meteorological datas.It means, PMWIN will be the best software in this industry.Many of the commercial modflow processors are still using Modflow 96. The MODFLOW 2000, PEST-ASP and the late version of the UCODE had been added in April 2001 to PMWIN.And it works without any problem since April 2001. I have contacted and got more additional information about the PMWIN and the book. I am gratefull to Prof.Kinzelbach and Prof.Wen-Hsiang CHAING who has written 3D GROUNDWATER MODELING WITH PMWIN and created,developed the PMWIN, GE and MODFLOW 2000 add on modules.I have found the best software and the best TEXTBOOK.This book is really excellent and can be advised both to the students,practical engineers and advanced groundwater modelers, as a compherensive guide to modeling and complete the exercises to refresh their knowledges.And also... Especially for the professors , this book will be an excellent primary text for a university course, or as asupplement to an existing curriculum.

Dipl.-Ing.Cengiz DOGANGoeNueL (B.Sc & M.Eng in Hydrogeological Enginnerig)

You've saved me from another deadline late-nighter. A short summary is in order: 1. Combo-box auto-lookup wasn't working 2. Read on-line help 3. Read Microsoft's Building Applications 4. Read O'Brien/Pogge/White 5. Read Viescas 6. Read p.346-7 of Litwin/Getz/Gilbert: Tah-dah!

The text is accurate and the examples work. I guess what made the difference is that the demo database was devoted to the specific subject that I was interested in, instead of having to wade through Orders or Northwind yet again.

Is there a Pulitzer for computer books?

I bought it when it came out.

Great book for Access97. Great chapters on string handling in the enclosed VBA book as well.

Werd.

Daily employed subjects, very good explaineds and an useful INDEX to found what you need. That is aplicable to the whole serie "Access xxx Developer's Handbook". I own all of them!. The best book about MsAccess.

These guys know their stuff. First of all the layout is a masterpiece. I don't know if the publisher should be thanked more then the authors. The font styles, size; page design is very pleasing and professional to say the least. The material is presented with a first person view. The "Event Model" is broken down so that you really know what happens when you create event driven functions. Coverage of VBA classes is a charm. An entire chapter for printer control is an award winner. I can't sing enough praises of the Access Developer Handbook. Pick up a copy and you'll see for yourself. Note: The book assumes you know some VB or VBA, and a light knowledge of the Access environment.

P.S. I only wish that the authors would co-develop a book such as this on MS Visual Foxpro --We desperately need one!

I've bought every edition of the Developers Handbook since Access 2.0, and convinced every employer of mine during that period to buy a copy, too. I used to be amazed at how I could look for the solution to some Access problem in three other books and never find it (or even clues that helped!); then I'd look in Getz et al and find the *exact* solution, on a silver platter.

In the past few years, I'll admit, I have on a very few occasions looked for something I didn't find. Once the answer was there, in quite thorough form, but I missed it because I looked in the index instead of the table of contents! The only reason I even mention this is that the Developers Handbook is the *only* technical book I've ever come across from which I have, almost subconsciously, begun to expect not just excellence, but PERFECTION! I realize how terribly unfair this is, but I can't help myself.

I'm pleased to see the scope of the Developers Handbook being expanded into SQL Server and Visual Basic, since high-end Access development can no longer be done in isolation from those tools. Having a resource like this one provided by Ken Getz, Paul Litwin, and Mike Gilbert is far from the worst reason you could have for choosing Access, SQL Server, and VB over some other set of tools.

If you're a developer and value your own time, you'll want this book. If you employ developers and you're lucky enough to have one or two who will actually *use* a book if it's available, buy this book now. The only way it won't pay for itself is if *nobody* ever opens it. And I'm not even sure of that. I think it might even make your developers better at what they do just by sitting on the shelf of their office!

I've tried several courses: math, science, history and language. My kids especially love the Sign Language cards! I purchased all three card sets and the CD-software. The photographs are more realistic than drawings which you mostly find in ASL products. Great for younger kids too. My daughter's using them in her Brownie troupe and my three-year-old has picked up on some of the alphabet and numbers already. My older son has some mild learning disabilities and looking at a page in a book with so much information all together makes him nervous. I put one card at a time on a cleared table. It helps him focus and that gives him more confidence. People have been making or using flash cards forever, and I think they always will be no matter how fancy computers and software gets (but the Exambusters software is good too). I've recommended them to others.

When I was in school, flash cards were the best way to learn and I always made my own. The exambusters cards cover many of my daughter's courses and I bought her several. Sometimes we work together and she and her friends study in a group too--making a trivia game. Try the software. The screensaver function is great!! In our house, we love to learn new languages. The program flashes words or phrases and then translation every few seconds. The material goes into your brain by osmosis and the constantly changing cards on the screen keep pulling you back to read more. The software is much easier to figure out than some other brands we've purchased. It's intuitive; you don't need to read a lot of confusing instructions. All in all, good investment.

In junior high, my son got a head start on high school courses and that helped him get better grades. He used both cards and CD. My son liked the software, so he studied more than he would have from a book. Learning is hard work, but the exambusters made him feel like it's not quite so bad. The software is well-laid out, colorful, and user-friendly. The messages they give when they score the tests are amusing.

I bought several courses. The cards offer basic concepts in small bites. The information was relevant to what was presented by my teacher. The cards and CD's gave good review before exams and a head start at the start of the new school year. The cards had a lot of questions; you can carry them in your pocket and learn a few each day. The software was easy to use. It is like the cards but on the screen. You can take a test or just review. Front is question, click for answer on back of card. The software can also show the cards on the screen at random, first the question, then the answer. They change every few seconds. That keeps you reading and wondering what's coming up next. It's entertaining while you're studying.

Every year I recommend them to my students. The ones who buy them seem to do a little better than they might have. The cards are numbered, so it's easy to tell them which ones they need to know, and which they can set aside based on the curriculum. It's harder to accomplish that type of culling of information with a review book you'd buy at the superstore.

I've tried several courses: math, science, history and language. My kids especially love the Sign Language cards! I purchased all three card sets and the CD-software. The photographs are more realistic than drawings which you mostly find in ASL products. Great for younger kids too. My daughter's using them in her Brownie troupe and my three-year-old has picked up on some of the alphabet and numbers already. My older son has some mild learning disabilities and looking at a page in a book with so much information all together makes him nervous. I put one card at a time on a cleared table. It helps him focus and that gives him more confidence. People have been making or using flash cards forever, and I think they always will be no matter how fancy computers and software gets (but the Exambusters software is good too). I've recommended them to others.

When I was in school, flash cards were the best way to learn and I always made my own. The exambusters cards cover many of my daughter's courses and I bought her several. Sometimes we work together and she and her friends study in a group too--making a trivia game. Try the software. The screensaver function is great!! In our house, we love to learn new languages. The program flashes words or phrases and then translation every few seconds. The material goes into your brain by osmosis and the constantly changing cards on the screen keep pulling you back to read more. The software is much easier to figure out than some other brands we've purchased. It's intuitive; you don't need to read a lot of confusing instructions. All in all, good investment.

In junior high, my son got a head start on high school courses and that helped him get better grades. He used both cards and CD. My son liked the software, so he studied more than he would have from a book. Learning is hard work, but the exambusters made him feel like it's not quite so bad. The software is well-laid out, colorful, and user-friendly. The messages they give when they score the tests are amusing.

I bought several courses. The cards offer basic concepts in small bites. The information was relevant to what was presented by my teacher. The cards and CD's gave good review before exams and a head start at the start of the new school year. The cards had a lot of questions; you can carry them in your pocket and learn a few each day. The software was easy to use. It is like the cards but on the screen. You can take a test or just review. Front is question, click for answer on back of card. The software can also show the cards on the screen at random, first the question, then the answer. They change every few seconds. That keeps you reading and wondering what's coming up next. It's entertaining while you're studying.

Every year I recommend them to my students. The ones who buy them seem to do a little better than they might have. The cards are numbered, so it's easy to tell them which ones they need to know, and which they can set aside based on the curriculum. It's harder to accomplish that type of culling of information with a review book you'd buy at the superstore.

This is a very good book on use cases. Concepts are well-explained. Use cases are placed properly into the UML framework. Typical forms and diagrams are presented and discussed. The process of developing and refining use cases gets full and detailed attention, as does testing.

So - good instructional material, and the book is compact and well-organized enough to also serve as a reference. It is crystal clear and very readable.

What follows below is not more book review. If my experiences and commentary regarding use cases interests you, read on, but be aware that it doesn't bear directly on the book itself.

My background first: I started as a developer, moved into technical management, project management, business analysis management, IT senior management, and currently serve in an IT governance role in one of the largest companies in the US.

I'm not an enthusiastic use case advocate. Having managed or had oversight for more development activities than I care to recall over the last 30 years, I've only run into a handful of people who were competent enough to produce a set of use cases usable and complete enough to feed into the next design stage. (Understanding, of course, that this methodology was in its infancy during part of that period.) Many claim to know use cases and modeling. Then again, most developers involved in any kind of distributed systems, web, n-tier, PC-based development, etc. claim to be OO competent, too (Uh-huh ...). I've written use cases and developed apps from them and still only consider myself marginally competent. I used a consultant to help then, and would do so again. Use cases are exceedingly difficult to write well for non-trivial applications and, because of their text content, deceptively simple-looking. Don't be fooled.

The few I've encountered who could produce good use cases have invariably been OO-heavy technical leads who were competent across the entire span of activities from requirements through post-deployment support. They were also intimately familiar with the particular business space. The latter isn't always easy to find.

That those who best understand use cases are typically highly technical is kind of perverse, as the intent of use cases is to keep them firmly in the end-user's conceptual space. In trying - and failing repeatedly - to get end users and business analysts trained in use cases - and, for that matter, trying to get the business to understand and accept them, I finally came up with something that worked. That is, develop conventional, text-based project charters and requirements documents, then have the dev teams and leads develop the use cases from the business docs.

This results in an interative process between use case development and the requirements - adding work - but it also cuts the inexpert out of the parts of the process that they never quite fathom anyway, such as alternative flows, extensions and generalization, includes relationships, etc. Even pre and post-conditions, which business people intuitively understand, are problematic because they typically can't get enough rigor into a use case without assistance, so the iteration helps with that also. What you wind up with is use case documention in the technical space, not the users'. That turns the process on its head but results in usable use cases. You also have to adjust how you handle non-requirements, non-interface content in the use cases such as verification, when end users aren't directly participating in use case creation. Such workflow and documentation issues lead to the next point:

Further complicating the adoption of use case modeling is the fact that use cases (and the UML) are easiest to adopt when supported by an end-to-end software suite, like Rational's. Anyone who has tried to implement such a suite knows that it is excruciating. Rational themselves will tell you that the setup of the software and underlying database is critically dependent on the specific forms approach you use, your methodology variation and workflow, even your org structure. The message is that you have to have a very full understanding of what you're doing to implement. Most bring Rational in on a consulting basis as a result.

Adoption is also complicated in large firms by the simple fact that most activity is on legacy systems, and that modern modeling and design methodologies aren't well-suited to those systems.

The final comment I'd make is on value. I haven't found that use cases - even good ones - yield better systems or even better or more appropriate documentation than other means of design, interface, and usability elicitation.

Returning again to the book itself - by all means buy it if you are looking for a single volume focused on use case development. It really is a good use case text. Beware the pitfalls going down the use case adoption route, however. If ever there was something that deserved a pilot, this would be it.

This book was nice .it was NEW.I never thought I will get a New book for less cost.

It is refreshing to a read a text that caters for those of use who already have experience in this domain and are seeking to develop their skills - without reverting to acadamia style writing. Useful examples, balanced descriptions, and an excellent coverage are all attributes of this text.

I have found this book of tremendous help in my work.

My first books on use cases focused more on UML rather than use cases. I did not give a hoot on use cases, because they look so simple on paper (and that's why I didn't buy a book specifically on use cases!) But as I grew as a developer, I began to believe that use case modelling if done well can significantly reduce development effort and bring about quality solutions. Use cases are the foundation to the understanding of the system that you are trying to develop. Use cases deserve serious attention.

The main problem with use cases is that you either don't know how to start or when to stop. This book tells you both. It tells you how to develop your use case model systematically from scratch and how to make provisions so that your use case model can grow. IMO, that's the main draw for this book.

The authors also give good insights on the possible approaches the reader can take to expand his/her use case model iteratively. It cautions the modeller to keep a balanced model so that stakeholders can understand, rather than one that specifies everything but gets bogged down by the details.

Semantics, you can get it elsewhere, but this book discusses it pretty well too. The examples are clear and relevant.

All in all, Frank and Granville did an excellent job covering the topic.

I strongly recommend this book!

I picked this book up about a month ago before kicking off a critical assessment project and it's paid for itself many times over. The numerous tomes in our field often provide hyperbole rather than pragmatic advice you can put into practice. This book helped me not only understand key agile concepts, but explained them in a way that made clear the business value they deliver.

I'd highly recommend this book for anyone seeking to learn more about implementing agile in an organization still relying on the traditional waterfall method.

If you understand Agile and your team adopts all the practices with success overnight, then this book is not for you. If like the rest of us you have an understanding of Agile, but need some help to go beyond a few superficial practices, then buy the book and use it!

Amr starts with the fundamentals of Agile, from its deep roots in team dynamics and individual attitudes, and then guide you towards building a strategy for Agile adoption - not a generic strategy, but one that is adequate for your team and your objectives. Once the strategy is defined, we can put the Agile patterns to good use, one at a time, in good order, while minding the impacts, consequences and pitfalls.

This was exactly the book I was looking for. For my longer review, please refer to: http://freedomforideas.wordpress.com/2008/09/16/agile-adoption-patterns-1-2-3/.

Proven patterns for succeeding with Agile in an organization are presented in a series of case studies and hands-on exercises in Agile Adoption Patterns: a Roadmap to Organizational Success. Here are the most common stumbling points teams face in implementing strategy, along with tips on how to teach, train, and bring customers on board to an agile environment. Any Agile project manager will find this an excellent series of tips, making this perfect for software engineering collections.

There are plenty of excellent books available that explain agile practices. What has been missing until now is the guidance to apply them. Amr's approach to achieving agile practices is filling a need that has been felt by many for several years now. Amr takes an excellent approach to identifying the best means of applying agile techniques based on a combination of business needs and project pains. This approach stays focused on delivering business value to the enterprise as they move towards agile practices.

Amr has an excellent writing style that is both concise and entertaining delivering information in a manner that can be absorbed in bite-sized chunks and applied as needed based on the initial needs assessment. After identifying the business needs or pains the best agile practices to deliver the value or reduce the pain are described in a manner that determines which practices will deliver the best value to meet your identified needs.

I highly recommend that you pick up this book if you are either planning to adopt agile practices, struggling to adopt agile practices or are looking to enhance the agile practices that you currently employ. Well done Amr.

There are many books about the theories and practices that are encompassed in the word "agile". Quite a number of them are quite good in terms of addressing the specific practices and how to implement them. It you want to learn Scrum or XP, there is no shortage of books and how-to materials, along with plenty of advice.

This book, however, addresses the goal of agile adoption from a new perspective - patterns of behavior and thought, and how to specifically leverage and/or address them. It addresses this from the organizational/team perspective, rather than the individual perspective, which makes it particularly valuable for those of us who are working in an organizational transformation/agile adoption environment.

While it might seem that "patterns" would appeal to the techies in its audience, my experience is that Amr has managed to frame his work in terms and concepts that are readily understood by all. This book is readily digestible by non-technical managers and staff, as well as by those of us who have spent/currently spend our time in a technology environment. It is not necessary to understand what design patterns are, for instance, to understand the patterns in this book.

For those who are either anticipating agile adoption or actively engaged in it, or even those who are struggling with what seems to be a failed adoption, this book is required reading. The way in which the patterns are presented, the clear and pragmatic exercises described to help work through them, and the suggestions for ways to approach it all are just what's needed.

Real world, pragmatic, easy to read, and easy to digest - that's what this book is all about.

It will be on my desk and heavily thumbed in short order.

When I began to work on a web portal using .NET 2.0 in mid-2006, I found out about this book and anxiously awaited it's publishing. I wasn't disappointed. The material covered in this book goes into such great detail and is so full of great ideas that I recommended the re-writing of our portal using Darren's book as a basis of our new design. This was money well spent.

When I first started looking at Web Parts I couldn't quite grasp how they were different from other web technology. Darren was able to clearly describe how individual parts are created, and how to integrate them into a cohesive whole and helped me enormously in building modern websites.

This a very thorough and complete guide to ASP 2.0 Web Parts. After reading this book, I gained more knowledge than reading countless internet articles, numerous blogs and a few cumbersome books on subject. This book is a MUST Buy for anyone who needs to understand and/ or implement ASP 2.0 Web Parts. One added new value is the concepts outlined
in his book also work on ASP 3.5.

A must buy book if your working with webparts. Darren (The author) is also extremely helpful if you post web part related questions on his forum. The book is clear, concise and well organised. You will not be disapointed!

Ps. I have bought many many tech reference books from Amazon over the years. This is the first time I have ever posted a review. This book has been an invaluable reference for a large project I am currently working on.

Paul Hale (Domainscanners)

An all in one great introduction to web parts and even to some advanced techniques.

Web parts are a strong web UI element and this book has done a great job of talking about ALL the things that are necessary for proper web parts development.

I was impressed from the beginning with the content of this book. It has been a great help in my recent graduate projects. This is one I will keep on the shelf for reference.

This book is simply the best book on post-production audio out there. I have over a decade of experience mixing live sound and some formal training in post production, but Rose gets to the real nuts and bolts of the day-to-day sweetening of sound that I was able to apply his ideas the same day I read a chapter on EQ. I have read so many books on sound where authors get into all the details, but fail to give hands on practical advice. Rose has two unique things going for him in this book: the included CD that gives A/B comparisons of various audio sweetening and processing techniques and the cookbook format at the end of each chapter. Try any one of these "recipes" and you will instantly get results and be able to solve various problems and massively improve your soundtrack.
He gets technical in spots going into the physics of sound, studio design, and other minutia but the non-geeks you can usually skip these sections and side-bars. For those who just want to fix things they can jump to the end of each chapter and use the cookbook/troubleshooting sections. I can't recommend this book enough. If you are serious about filmmaking, you can't be without this book.

Audio Postproduction for Digital Video
By Jay Rose
Review by Pi Ware

Don't listen to the title. It's bigger than the title. The "Digital Video" part of Audio Postproduction for Digital Video restricts the scope of this classic Jay Rose text. Rose's book goes far beyond DV, in fact, it starts with an explanation of what sound is on the molecular level and then takes you not just through audio postproduction for TV, but to techniques specific to movie production, techniques that are entirely independent of the format you originate on. Audio Postproduction for Digital Video is top-notch. It's an excellent, text-book quality manual, a soup-to-nuts guide on how to deal with sound in postproduction.

Jay Rose never gives you solutions that are applicable only to specific Digital Audio Workstations, he arms you with knowledge you can use in any platform or program. The book is an education in sound and, together with the numerous photos and diagrams (and Rose's good sense of humor), it's a liberation from the dry prose of most manuals on postproduction.

Rose teaches you from the ground up what sound is, what good sound is, and how to make bad sound better. He doesn't just stop at good writing, however, he illustrates important points with an audio CD included in the back of the book. Together with the CD, the text guides you through importing audio into the computer, editing dialogue, Do It Yourself Foley and ADR, working with filters, noise reduction techniques, pitch and time changes, the sound mix, and even, if you're so inclined, designing, constructing and wiring your own postproduction audio facility.

Though postproduction changes with every new advance in technology, Audio Postproduction for Digital Video stays current by focusing on strategy, not software. Rose avoids giving specific keystroke instructions in specific programs, but instead explains common solutions to common problems using common tools. As he says in his introduction, "You should be able to use these pages for a long time."

Anyone considering directing a short or feature, anyone who wants to be even nominally involved in the sound design of their film, and, of course, anyone interested in working in audio postproduction, would do extremely well to pick up a copy of this classic Jay Rose text.

This book in fantastic. The author's voice and style make this not only easy to read but a joy to read as well. There are little tips and tidbits in each chapter that will make a good audio guy great and a great audio guy better. I recommend this book to anyone in the audio post world.

I decided to buy this book because I had used the forum on the DV.com website for information before, and Jay Rose's comments there had proven to be spot-on and well-informed.
This book contains a thorough examination of all the factors which contribute to the quality of post-production audio. The level of information includes the spectrum from basic to advanced, but through Mr. Rose's clear explanations the advanced information should not go over the heads of the reader.

I have hundreds of books and manuals on various techie subjects and Ellen's AutoCAD 2004 Bible ranks high on my list for books worth the purchase. I have used AutoCAD for years but after moving up to Acad 2005 from Acad 2000 I thought I could use some tutoring. The book didn't disappoint. For nearly every topic there is a step by step, hands-on, example that the reader can perform. There are around 160 drawing files on the accompanying CD; one for each example in the book. You can open that file in Acad and follow the steps in the book and experiment to your heart's content.

All in all, this book won't disappont you like some I could mention.

I have had R14, 2000 AutoCAD Bibles on my shelf for many years now. I picked the 2004 Bible to use as a textbook in an advanced AutoCAD class that I teach 6 or so times a year.

I was very pleased with how well it meshed with the way I have always taught this class (13 years last month.) Plus it is a nice "value added" item that the students can take back to work. My first class was very pleased about getting to use the 2004 Bible while in class and also about having a reference to study after the class.

It was funny because I started saying "take your Bibles and turn to page ..." it was like we were in church! I can not say enough good about Ellen's writing style, her use of graphics throughout the book and her expertise! It is all there in the Bible.

I bought this to get refreshed in Autocad for a new job and would recommend it to anyone. I can't do without it.

A marvellous and first class, well written and referenced, extremely clear and as if having an AutoCAD instructer sitting next to you. I was a new user to this product and I feel today very comfortable to do my tasks on AutoCAD and feel that this book will be a good guide even for advanced users. Thanks to Ellen Finklestien and I laud your efforts and higly recomment the book to all.

I have read various book of autocad, but they all seem very complicated and dificuolt to understand. I found this bible and let me tell you that is the best book I have ever seem. I recomended to a friend of mine who wants to learn autocad. This book will challenge you as a beguiner, intermedite or advance user. It has lots of examples and this author know what she is talking about. Believe me this one of the best if not the best autocad book I have seem in the market in my 10 years of autocard experience.

I've read this book from cover to cover. I've read many books on software development, software processes, best practices, qualitative approaches, and quantitative approaches, many from SEI. This book has to be one of the top two. For software professionals in leadership positions facing today's pressures of delivering quality software that meets customer expectations according to plan, this book is a must-read. You will be able to implement techniques directly into your organizational processes and deliverables with considerable ease. Kolawa and Huizinga have forged a grimoire that should be on every software leaders' desk, be they Project Managers, Software Architects, PMO Directors, of Vice Presidents of Development. Here are the key take-aways from this book:

1. Clarity: All concepts, practices, and examples were extraordinarily clear. There was never a question as to what was meant, or confusion in the information conveyed.

2. Readability: The text is very user-friendly. Coming from a very technical background, I tend to read challenging and complicated material. In this book, you were able to frame both technical and complex material in a readable way. In other words, I never had to re-read anything in the book. All of the material was very easy to understand. I feel the ability to effectively reduce complexity to simplicity is the hallmark of good authorship.

3. Implementable: I found the practice-side of the book to be what I call `out-of-the-box.' This means I was able to take material directly from the text and apply that into my process(es) or deliverables with very little work or trouble. (I actually did this multiple times.) This is a testament to the subtitle of the book, Best Practices in Software Management.

4. Usefulness: The book is actually aimed at being useful within for-profit businesses. Theoretical books are good for concepts, but it's up to the readers to find ways to translate the theory into executable practices (which often is beyond the role and responsibility of the readers). Your book actually bridges this gap, and provides mechanisms to help readers implement valuable techniques into their organizations, independent of their infrastructure.

These four points make a huge difference for readers looking to improve their software development processes to ensure profitability, cost savings, and customer satisfaction. Producing quality software while building defect prevention into your processes is key in today's competitive software marketplace. With these techniques, your organization will continue to become better, managing, reducing, and even eliminating the traditional sources of defects in software deliverables. You won't be disappointed in buying this book, as you'll refer to over and over again as you build process improvement into your organization.

What sets this book apart from other software quality management books is its focus on real-world solutions. Many quality improvement strategies sound great on paper, but are impractical to implement because they end up slowing project progress and stirring resentment throughout the ranks. Rather than ignore the demands of modern day development, this book embraces them. The result is a refreshingly realistic approach to boosting software quality... while at the same time actually improving team productivity and developer satisfaction.

This book offers a straight-forward, realistic approach to solving challenges of day-to-day projects that the software industry faces. Not only does it address the necessity of technology businesses to increase efficiency and productivity, but it also takes into account the psychological need for individual software professionals to be challenged and intellectually fulfilled on a daily basis. The powerful gains of software automation are amplified by the strategic best practices described in this software management book.

Automated Defect Prevention delivers a realistic approach to the nagging software quality problem. If you are responsible for developers who deliver business applications, you need to read this book. If you are an software architect or engineer, the book will offer a pragmatic road map to achieve incremental productivity gains within your software development lifecycle.

When I read this book I had a huge realization. Most of the quality initiatives that I had been involved with or observed had introduced (or layered on) additional tasks and responsibilities for either the architect, developer or QA engineer. Over time, these layered tasks ultimately resulted in dragging down productivity. Investing in the *correct* infrastructure to automate the monotonous/repetitive is the key to success. Quality should be the outcome of intelligent investment in productivity.

One issue I have with the software industry is that too many project managers, or stake holders managing software people, lack the understanding of just how important software quality is and how it can benefit the software teams and products. As the people most accountable for what happens with a software initiative, managers should have a solid understanding of what options are available to improve developer skills and the software they release. This book provides that needed information and helps explain who is responsible for what tasks, when they should be considering phasing in a particular practice and the benefits of a given item.

I like the way the information is presented in this book because I feel a project manager would be able to quickly evaluate a practice for phasing in without facing an all-or-nothing approach that some other books take. If, for example, a manager felt that they enjoyed the chapter on testing models, this book provides the information on what is needed, the benefits and the roles people need to take to phase that approach into their teams.

I enjoyed this book and I wish that more development teams used many of the practices in this book. While there were samples at the end of the chapters and a chapter on case studies, I would have liked to have seen a bit more information on difficulty and time constraints presented within some of the sections themselves. Overall this is a great book and definitely worth having on your desk.